June 22: penultimate day in SF

Dear Friends and Relatives,

Greetings from my penultimate day in SF.  I hope all of you are doing well, but I am sorry to say that I haven't heard from anyone and hope I am reaching you, my targeted audience!  

Another lovely day in SF, but just a bit inland and the breezes are gone and the temperatures start climbing.  We experienced that a few miles south of Candlestick Point, where Maureen lives.  South, there is a another Point called Oyster Point, populated mostly by the company Genentech, which we noticed had about 35 buildings to its name and is like a city within a city.  At Oyster Point there was a restaurant at the shore, the South Harbor Restaurant, which we patronized for lunch today, after a late start.  We shared a wonderful lentil/chicken soup, filet mignon sliders, sweet potato fries, and a cinco leches dessert punctuated by ice cream, blueberries, and strawberries.  Absolutely delightful, and eaten al fresco.  

A gentleman at the next table, looking to be about 70 years of age and sporting a tied-back ponytail and a lean frame, talked to us at one point and even read us a poem he had composed.  Originally from the South, he had made his home here and lamented that his beloved hotel and this restaurant were soon to become relics of the past, as they were slated to be torn down in the imminent future.  Interesting fellow, and eventually he went back to his seat, and we made our way to a pathway skirting Oyster Point, watching the Canada geese, fishermen casting off the pier, planes landing and taking off from San Francisco Airport, and tankers and barges lined up in a column of 8 to enter Oakland Harbor.  We walked for about 1 1/2 miles before returning to the car, which had heated up considerably.  

At home we had ice cold root beer and then napped.  Maureen is still asleep while I write this.  For dinner she is preparing Bratwurst and sauerkraut in my honor, and then we are going to Randy and Shu's condo to say hello to them, their children Isaac, Isabelle, and Irei, and Shu's parents.  Tomorrow, I will be on my way to Dallas in the late afternoon, arriving in the evening.  My next stint will be June 28, when I depart for Cleveland, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Toronto until July 5.  Luckily, right leg, left rib cage, and allergy problems are almost at a standstill--the only remnants are my rib cage pains when I execute certain movements.  I appreciate so much feeling better!  It has been a great stay in SF--always a delightful city to get to know again and again!  As ever, Sylvia